Still top choice: Duterte is netizens’ pick for Round 2, Part 1 of debate

MANILA, Philippines – Davao City Mayor Rodrigo Duterte was again the winner of the second round of the first part of the presidential debate held in Cebu City on Sunday, March 20, as chosen by Rappler readers.

The tough-talking Davao mayor got 66.11%, or 197, of the total 298 votes. He is followed by former interior chief Manuel Roxas II with 67 votes (22.47%) and Senator Grace Poe with 28 votes (9.4%).

As in the results of the first part of Round 1, Vice President Jejomar Binay trailed far behind with only 6 votes (2.01%).

The first part of Round 1 of the debate also saw Duterte getting the most votes from netizens, similar to his performance in the Cagayan de Oro debates, as perceived by Rappler readers.

Senator Miriam Santiago was not present at the debate. She earlier announced she will be skipping the event to undergo a clinical trial for an anti-cancer pill.

The debate, the second in the series, was co-organized by the Commission on Elections, TV5, The Philippine Star, Kapisanan ng mga Brodkaster ng Pilipinas, and UP Cebu.

When the topic turned to the government’s handling of Typhoon Yolanda (Haiyan) – the strongest storm to hit land – a spike of Angry and Annoyed votes appeared on the Rappler mood meter as Roxas defended the government’s response to the rehabilitation of disaster-hit areas. The former interior chief said that around P90 billion has been released as of end-2015 for the Yolanda rehabilitation.

Angry and Afraid votes also spiked on the mood meter when Roxas and Binay sparred on the issue of corruption – the main controversy hounding the Vice President. – Rappler.com